The budget on Thursday was only up for introduction. However, an item eliminating insurance for student athletes was unanimously rejected by board members.

"I had a student athlete who got hurt in practice last week who was not insured," board member Russell Jack said.

The insurance was not renewed for this year, although students and athletes were given the option to continue the insurance by paying for it themselves. The insurance is supplemental, covering what the parents' coverage does not pay.

However, Jack said he was not aware the insurance was gone, because the budget including the cut had not yet been approved.

"If the board doesn't have to approve it, we don't need to be here," he said.

Finance Director Felix Boughton said board members were twice told the insurance would not be renewed.

"I agree it is a great benefit to give students when you have the money," he said. "Unfortunately I have to go by the facts, and the fact is that we don't have the money."

Cutting insurance for students and athletes would have saved $60,000. Agreeing to keep insurance for athletes only will cost the board just more than $42,000.

Boughton said the company has offered to make the insurance retroactive to Aug. 1, before the student's accident.

The cost will come from the ending fund balance.

"The fund balance will be depleted to almost zero because of it," Boughton said.

The district is dealing with $57 million in general fund revenue during the 2011-12 fiscal year. However, it expects its general fund expenditures to be about $62 million.

The shortfall will be made up from the fund balance.

"It is balanced. It is going to be scheduled to be adopted two weeks from now on Sept. 1," Boughton said. "We recommend you adopt it as is, but the board still has options."

The administration had recommended nearly $4 million in cuts to offset cost increases this year.

Boughton said the administration is still recommending cutting the athletic allotment at the two high schools. However, he told board members they have the right to make any changes they want to the budget.

The district is proposing giving East St. John High School $45,000, down from $90,000 the year before, and West St. John High School $22,000, down from $40,000 the year before.

Board member Rodney Nicholas, who expressed opposition at the board's last meeting, to reducing the athletic allotment, said he would continue to oppose the cuts.

"The $50,000 we want to cut, I think, is a small investment for $12 million worth of scholarships," he said. "I want to go on the record again that I oppose any and all cuts to the athletic budget."

Board member Clarence Triche said he was a student fortunate enough to receive an athletic scholarship, which allowed him to return to St. John as a teacher.

"But I'm also very good at mathematics," he said.

He asked his fellow board members to refrain from trying to add anything back into an already "problematic" budget.

"We have to present a balanced budget to the state, and if you keep adding a dollar here and a dollar there it's not going to work," he said. "I don't want to get in a position where we have to lay off school teachers. Our students need them here more than anything else."

Jack said he has concerns about other cuts in the budget, particularly as they affect the elimination of programs at West St. John High School.

"I think they are very important to parents and students at these schools," he said. "I don't think including these programs or teachers in the budget, I don't think, would take up a lot of money."

It plans to save about $1.3 million from staff reductions through attrition. The district is also proposing reducing substitutes for a $550,000 savings, reducing technology for a $250,000 savings and reducing maintenance for a savings of $200,000.

Among the increased costs being faced by the district this year is more than $1.2 million for teachers and school employee retirement. It is also expecting a $900,000 loss of Minimum Foundation Program and Edujobs funding.

Eliminating four unpaid furlough days that employees were required to take last year will cost the district about $975,000, while the district's new universal prekindergarten program will cost nearly $624,000.